Just So You Know
by aumguitarist07
Summary: A sort of coming of age tale of the personal growth and relationship development between two unique individuals, against a backdrop of mounting political tension, abduction and assassination, and a new cast of villains with motives even more mysterious than their identities. A collaboration w/ HybridTailedFox. Inspired by the song from Pete Schmidt. M for violence.
1. Prologue

Prologue: "At the end of everything, is when you're farthest from the finish line!"

Her Weapon felt abnormally heavy in her gloved hands. Her chest heaved deep, pained breaths in and out, and she glared menacingly out from under her furrowed eyebrows at her opponent. The ties that normally kept her hair in neat pigtails had long ago been torn to tatters, and her hair now flowed wildly about her head. Her gaze turned towards the blade of her scythe, and her harsh expression softened. In its depths, she could see the face of her partner, with a characteristically defiant expression, glaring at her. He was putting on a good show, but she could see how his teeth were stained red with the blood filling his mouth, no doubt from one of over a dozen internal injuries….

She realized he was mouthing, shouting, words at her, but she had long ago tuned out the psychic link between them. She almost chuckled, thinking, _Why is it… at times like this… men always seem to have to go on some long-winded speech about not giving up…? As if I _could_ right now…._ She tightened her grip on the scythe's handle, wincing and closing one eye at how the act of tensing caused jolts of pain to flare from the deep gash at her side. She felt the corresponding side of her shirt get more damp, and the knowledge that she was slowly bleeding out made her want to shudder. She bit down on her lip to suppress the reaction.

Speaking through her clenched jaw, she said in a swelling voice, "Soul… I swear if you do not _shut up_, I'll start using you to scrape gum and dog crap off of people's shoes."

The scythe's, Soul "Eater" Evans's, reaction was immediate and priceless. The scythe head swiveled to regard her with its ornamental eye warped into a mortified, incensed expression. "Like hell…! I'm just trying to help you, you know, not _die_, you idiot. You're out there getting _both_ our asses kicked; it's embarrassing! …Not to mention _completely_ uncool." Despite the inarguably desperate nature of their situation, Soul couldn't stop a wry grin from claiming his face. "But it's good to see you still have some fight left in you, Maka…."

Maka Albarn gave in and flashed a grim smirk despite herself. "Yeah…." She returned her gaze towards their opponent, fighting against a growing tide of despair at the sight of the soul's steady swelling. She felt a fiery anger growing in her chest. "Soul… are you all right for round two?"

Soul snorted a thick wad of bloody snot from one nostril, spat out a fresh mouthful of blood, and grinned, his red eyes burning with dark intent. "Pfeh, who do you think you're talking to? I'm a Death Scythe, not some dinky can opener…. Let's take that thing out." Maka grinned again; the fact that they were near death never even occurred to them. She started to step forward, but Soul's suddenly gentle voice stopped her. "Maka…." She looked down again with an annoyed glance at the scythe's blade, and at Soul's face, reflected in the scythe's blade and wearing an uncharacteristically soft expression. "…Don't die on me."

Her expression softened into a sad one, an expression too solemn and tired for so young a face. Her arms trembled slightly, but she tightened her grip on the scythe handle again to put an instant stop to it. She swallowed. "All… all right, Soul. I… promise." She let herself take another moment to look at his face, then closed her eyes and gathered her strength for one last push. When her eyes reopened, they were aflame with deadly intent. She directed them at her target. "All right, you damn monster! This has gone on long enough! Get _ready_! Soul, _now_!"

They spoke together as one voice: "Let's go! Soul Resonance!"

Maka's hands shook as she felt her soul's power rushing into the scythe's handle, then steadied at the sudden inrush of its exponentially amplified magnitude an instant later. The explosion of power lifted her hair over her head, and she and Soul grunted then shouted in unison as they approached the maximum output of their combined strength. Her eyes shone brightly, and her body convulsed from the force of the power roiling within it.

She planted her feet wide apart, the sinewy muscles in her legs coiled and taut, ready to propel her into a violent cacophony of motion at an instant's notice. She reveled in the feel of the power circulating through her body, relished the simplicity of the motions of whirling Soul's scythe form over her head and into an offense-minded position of readiness. _Yes_, she thought, feeling the previous almost-unbearable weight of the scythe melt away to near-nothingness, until it simply felt like an extension of her arm, her will, her soul. _Yes_, she thought, closing her eyes and summoning up the vision of her planned assault, as well as the strength and willpower to follow through with it. _Yes!_, she thought as she opened her eyes and drew in her breath, crouching down in preparation to leap.

At long last, tedious thought became glorious action; she exploded forward, her energy shredding the ground she'd occupied only moments before. She pulled back her scythe, her thin arms tight with improbable power. An aura surrounded the demonic curvature of the scythe's blade, and it expanded to twice, thrice, _ten times_ its normal size.

Maka's eyes were wide and bloodshot, full of the sweeping passion of unbridled rage. "ALICE! GIVE THEM BAAACK!"

-Hey everybody! Yeah, I guess I'm back, and doing another story…. I know it hasn't even been 4 whole weeks since I finished my last fic, but I've had this little number going through my brain for a while now, and I've just now gotten a chance to really get serious about fleshing out what were initially just a few sketchy concepts into the subtle beginnings of a true story worth telling. This will be a story centering around the nature (and eventual subtle_ change_ of that nature) of the relationship between one Maka Albarn and one Soul "Eater" Evans. There will be comedy, (most definitely) a dash of fluff (hopefully strictly an appropriate amount, and only for comic purposes), some action (uh, _duh_, read the above, anyone?), and maybe even a little intrigue!-

-This fic is a collaboration between myself and another member, HybridTailedFox. We have been working on conceptualizing this from my original tiny seed of an idea, which sprouted out of, of all things, a love song. This song is called "Just So You Know" by Pete Schmidt. I highly recommend you listen to it; I think it's just such a perfect song for a Soul Eater (kinda-sorta) pairing fic! Not only that, but some subtle themes of the song will work their way into the story…. But don't get confused… this is NOT a songfic! Okay, so notes on this chapter….-

-Don't you just hate it when a movie/anime/book opens up with a scene from right in the middle of the epic "Boss Battle"…? Only to have the movie/anime/book then go all Tarantino and rewind like 2 weeks prior to that scene, to start off the story in an actual chronological manner? What the hell, right?! Well, that's _exactly_ what's going on here! Hope you enjoyed this little bit of foreshadowing, etc., etc., etc…. We'll try to have the next chapter, Chapter 1, out soon! This'n here's just the Prologue! Until next time!-


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Stuck in the Middle with You…

His hands were stuffed into the front pockets of his loose-fitting jeans. His shoulders were hunched forward; his posture practically screamed out his informal attitude. His mouth was set in an irreverent grin, but the shine in his eyes was unmistakable, and betrayed the excitement he felt despite his best efforts to hide it with a nonchalant façade.

He stood in the middle of a circle, facing the undisputed leader of its members, each among the most respected people of the Academy's alumni. He could scarcely believe that the day he'd waited for since he'd joined the Academy those long years ago was finally upon him… the day he would be accepted and formally recognized as an ascended Weapon, as a Death Scythe, as a member of the Grim Reaper's most elite vanguard, and as one of his personal Weapons. It was what all Weapons in the Academy strived for; it was the goal that they most yearned for and fought for…. And it was the absolute epitome… of "cool".

Lord Death, the Grim Reaper, cleared his throat and lifted a hand to signify the start of the proceedings. "Well, well, well! This is _quite_ the auspicious occasion! It's been quite a while since we've welcomed a new member into the ranks of the Death Scythes, so let's all be sure to offer up our most sincere congratulations for Soul here!"

Soul "Eater" Evans couldn't repress his grin; it spread on his face slowly, and culminated in a rare sunny smile that dominated his face. Impossibly, it seemed to widen even further when the other Death Scythes present applauded politely with warm smiles.

Lord Death allowed the applause to go on for several moments, then finally raised his hand in the air again to indicate his speech continuing. "As you all know, each Death Scythe is a member of my most trusted inner circle, and must stand ready to be called on for me to utilize in whatever way I deem necessary. Each Death Scythe is also entrusted with a region of the world to oversee the DWMA's operations there, and to make regular reports to me on any developments that come up. They must be decisive, and independent, and capable of making careful decisions in my stead that affect how our branches operate. It's a very important job, indeed, and not one that we assign people lightly…."

Soul's smile faltered for an instant. It wasn't like Lord Death to be so long-winded in his speeches; he'd expected this to go a lot faster. The others were waiting for him for his celebration party, he knew. So then, what was Lord Death going on about, anyway?

Lord Death pressed on, unaware of the young Weapon's misgivings. "On top of all that, it's one of those even rarer situations, as Soul is actually a scythe-type Weapon…. The same type of Weapon that Spirit here is." He gestured to the red-haired Death Scythe at his right. Spirit, for his part, looked uncomfortable with the sudden attention, and looked down at his feet. "So, Soul, as you might imagine, it puts me in a bit of a pickle… especially considering that there aren't currently any openings for leadership positions at any of our outposts."

Marie Mjölnir, one of the Death Scythes present, suddenly perked up and raised her hand. "Oh! Oh, Lord Death, I would be _happy_ to resign my post at Oceania for Soul to take over! It's not that far away, and the work load is relatively light, so it would be a great starting position for Soul to-"

A vein popped up on the forehead of the Reaper's mask, and he continued, "Nope, no openings at all, I'm afraid, so-"

Marie persisted, "But Lord Death, I'm offering him _my_ post. It would give me time to fulfill my dream of finding a husband and-"

A second vein appeared to join its predecessor on the Reaper's masked visage. "And, in light of the fact that there are _no available openings at this time_,-"

Marie desperately jumped up and down, raising her voice to near hysterical heights and speaking breathlessly, "Oceania would be a _perfect_ place for Soul to take over! I've been working there forever and you promised that as soon as a new Death Scythe was named I could retire and focus on my romantic life and-!"

An instant later, the blond Death Scythe was lying crumpled and face down on the ground, an enormous lump throbbing on the top of her head. Lord Death was rubbing the side of his hand, which was smoking from the recent application of his feared 'Reaper Chop'. Spirit and Azusa stood over their fallen compatriot, muttering words like "idiot" and "man-crazy" while poking at her lifeless body with the toes of their shoes.

Soul, for his part, was flabbergasted at this sudden turn of events. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and let them fall to his sides, clenching and unclenching his fists as he tried to process what exactly was happening. "Lord Death, uh… forgive me for speaking out of turn…," he began, warily eyeing the still smoking hand that had just recently rendered the outspoken Marie unconscious, "…but what exactly are you saying right now…? Am… am I a Death Scythe…? Or not?"

Death waved his hands in front of him. "Oh, don't you worry, Soul. You're certainly a Death Scythe, make no mistake about it…. But, I just can't bring myself to replace any of my current Death Scythes with you right now…. You're still a student taking classes, and it's important for you to finish your education on the inner workings of our organization. Also, I don't really have a need for another scythe Weapon, as I already have Spirit here doing a perfectly acceptable job of that…. Regardless of what others say about him."

Spirit opened his mouth to respond to that sly snub, but one look at Marie's still-motionless form forced him to, wisely, reconsider.

"On top of that, I think you might do well to further hone your new skills as a Death Scythe in the hands of someone fully capable of using you to your potential."

Soul's eyes widened suddenly, and he felt his heart stop. "L-Lord Death…. I'm begging you! Don't make me partner with Dr. Stein!" He shuddered violently, remembering the horror stories Spirit had told him about being Dr. Franken Stein's partner. "I-I'll do anything; just don't make me do _that_!"

The Reaper bent sideways, question mark bubbles dancing over his head. "Stein…? Who said anything about Stein? Well, I guess he _would_ be a more logical choice…. I'll bet he could expertly utilize you and help you advance…. Hmm, I hadn't considered the possibility of that…."

Soul face planted, then looked up at Lord Death from his prostrate position with moist eyes. "Gah! N-no, forget I said anything about him! Look, _any_one but him! I'm begging you! That would be the _most_ uncool thing you could do to me!"

A sweat drop rolled down the side of the Reaper's head, and his mask eyes changed shape to reflect his saddened distaste for the display. "All right, all right…. I won't force you on him, if you put it that way…."

Spirit stomped his foot. "H-hey! Lord Death, wait a second! You never showed _me_ that kind of pity! Where was your mercy when I said that very same thing years ago!"

Death turned to darkly regard the red-headed Death Scythe, lifting a hand in an ominous warning of a great impending pain. "You want one too?!" By the time he turned back to Soul, Spirit was sitting down at the far end of the Death Room, dark storm clouds hovering over his head serving as a visual representation of his sudden gloominess. "Well, Soul, since you're really that set against working with Stein, there's really just one logical choice for you…." He said a name.

Soul's eyes widened, and he cast a forlorn look down at the ground. "Oh…. I see."

…

Soul wandered through the halls of the Academy, slowly making his way back to his dorm room, his head bowed and a morose thoughtful expression on his face. _So, then…. I'm a Death Scythe, but at the same time… not? What the hell kind of crap explanation is that? How am I a Death Scythe if I'm not one of Lord Death's personal Weapons? And extra classes with Professor Stein and Spirit, to _prepare_ me for extra duties…? How am I supposed to feel about this? How am I _not_ supposed to take this as an insult…? It's so damn uncool…. _

He finally came to his dorm room door, and hesitated with his hand on the door knob. _And on top of all that… how am I supposed to break the news to Maka…? After all that work that we did, everything she went through to help make me a Death Scythe…. How am I supposed to tell her that… that we're going to be partners again? What if she already found another Weapon partner…? It kind of makes sense… that she would want to help someone else become a Death Scythe; it would just help her achieve her own goal of becoming a three-star Meister like her mother…. And now she's going to be stuck with me again for who knows how long…. I'm just going to end up getting in her way like this…. But Lord Death was _insistent_…. And there's just no _way_ I'm going to become some science project for Professor Stein; that would be even _more_ uncool._

He sighed, feeling more and more depressed as he continued to think about the situation. Maka was the last person in the world he wanted to disappoint, or become a burden to. In truth, he couldn't help but admit that he was glad that he would be reunited with his partner, but he couldn't shake a sense of apprehension at how the news would be received…. He didn't want to look too happy about it; he knew that she likely wouldn't be too thrilled with the idea of being stuck with Lord Death's _leftovers_. At the same time, Maka was probably exactly the kind of person who would jump to the conclusion that _he_ was upset with _her_ about the whole thing, especially since the decision had been made largely because of her father…. And how would he deal with that? He huffed through his nose, his lips pulling back to reveal his pointed teeth in a pained grimace. "God… this is so damn uncool."

Finally, shoulders slumped, he turned the doorknob and stepped into the darkened room. He looked around in confusion. "Huh…. I didn't leave the lights off…." Groping along the wall, he found the light switch and flipped it up. His eyes widened, and he fell back onto his rear, shouting and dumbfounded.

"SURPRISE!" came a throng of familiar voices.

His wide eyes were vacant, until finally realization dawned on his face. _Crap! I forgot about the damn party…._ He gave a half-hearted smile at the gathering of his close friends and comrades. Black Star, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, Death the Kid, Liz and Patty Thomson, and Blair the cat-woman stood in a semi-circle around the table that adorned the middle of the dorm room's dining area.

"Yeah, yeah! About time you got here, Soul buddy! If I had to stand still here like this for one more second, I would have lost it…," Black Star began, grinning broadly.

Soul looked confused. "Why do you say that? You could have done this from anywhere; you didn't need to stand there like an idiot for so long…."

Kid looked immensely irritated. "Whaaat?! Don't you have any appreciation for the symmetry of how we're standing? Just look! I arranged us perfectly!" He pointed down the line. "Blair and Liz here are the tallest in our group, so they're standing at the edges, with Blair crouching down just a few centimeters to match perfectly with Liz; then it's myself and Tsubaki, the next two tallest, in the middle, with _her_ crouched just a few centimeters as well…. Then finally, Patty and Black Star are closest to the center, each perfectly aligned from the chair between them, and standing so that they match _just so_…. It's… absolutely perfect! I even had Maka take a picture of us standing just right for you to keep… I cropped the finished picture so that we would be aligned perfectly with the vertical and horizontal axes of the picture's dimensions…. I knew that it had to be perfect, for your auspicious occasion." Kid stared at Soul expectantly. "You may thank me at any time. I took all the worry out of it for you." As he spoke, Liz couldn't help but blush out of sheer embarrassment, and Patty took to rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter.

The rest of the party shouted in unison, "You're the _only_ one who would worry about that!"

Soul chuckled, then looked around with a bemused expression. "So… where _is_ Maka, anyway?"

At that moment, Maka Albarn walked into the dining room, carrying a large circular cake and wearing a large grin. "Sorry, present! …I _did_ have a cake already made for you, but I had to re-do it because-"

Kid piped up, "Because the cake she originally made was _unacceptable_. It was horrifically asymmetrical, shaped of all things like your head. So, I thoughtfully blasted it into its base elements and had her re-make one in my favorite shape: a perfect circle. Divisible from _any_ angle into two completely equivalent halves…." He looked lovingly at the cake, smacking away Black Star's hand when it reached in to dig into it.

Soul smacked himself in the forehead, gritting his teeth. Finally, he just grinned. "You're completely nuts…. Bat-shi-"

"Aaanyway," Maka interjected, stepping forward. "I got a little something for you…. I thought it would be a nice going away present…. Please accept it." She reached into her back pocket and produced a thin rectangular box, white and with a dark green ribbon tied into a bow at the front. He looked at it, speechless for a moment.

He gave his usual cheeky grin, showing off his pointed teeth. "Wow… thanks, Maka. You really didn't have to…."

She cut him off, looking away and blushing slightly. "Idiot… I know I didn't have to. Just open it before you thank me."

Soul nodded, and gingerly untied the ribbon, laying it carefully on the table, and then pulled off the lid. Everyone peered inside at what lay underneath. Black Star whistled appreciatively. Inside the box lay a handsome pocket watch. It had an intricate engraving across the front and back of its case cover, and upon closer inspection, Soul realized it had to have been hand-carved. Slowly, he reached down and lifted it. The cool feel of the metal and its heaviness gave the material of the watch case and chain away as silver. Soul guessed it was an Argentium sterling silver, based on its pristine appearance. He admired the cover for several moments, and finally clicked the watch open. On the inside of the flip cover was an inscription which read "S.E. – M.A.", and below that two certain dates. Soul only had to think about it for a moment before he realized the first was the date that he and Maka had met and become Weapon and Meister partners. The second date… was the present day's. The timepiece protective glass was polished to a high sheen, and the second, minute, and hour hands appeared to be made of gold.

Soul, slack-jawed, looked up from the watch at Maka's face. She seemed to be patiently waiting for something. Finally, he looked down at the watch again, and his face fell slightly when he realized what the watch was supposed to signify. "Maka, I… I'm sorry…. I can't accept this gift, as great as it is…."

From far away, Soul could hear Tsubaki gasp and Black Star call him "dumbass", but he couldn't take his eyes off Maka's face as it suddenly took on a hurt expression. "W-what are you talking about, Soul…?"

Soul slowly turned his gaze to regard everyone who stood around him, still wearing shocked, uncertain expressions. "I…. Well, you see, I…." He looked down at the watch, gritting his teeth in frustration. He placed it carefully back in the velvety lining inside the box, and set it down on the table, feeling disgusted with himself. "I'm sorry everybody. Thanks a lot for the party, but I kind of need to be alone for a little while."

He turned to walk towards his bedroom, until Maka's hand grabbed his arm just above the elbow. "Hey… Soul, wait a minute. What are you-?"

Soul turned to face her, his eyes both remorseful and angry. "Look, I'll explain it later…. I said I'm sorry, all right? Just leave me alone for right now." He pulled his arm out from her grasp, and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him firmly.

The seven of them stood, shocked into silence, and all of them feeling more than a little sorry for Maka, who was too stunned to move. Finally, Tsubaki was the first to speak. "I… I wonder what could be bothering Soul so much…? It's not at all like him to act that way…."

Black Star shrugged, his eyebrow lifted quizzically. "No telling… maybe it's some kind of Death Scythe thing…." He visibly brightened. "Well, _anyway_, it'd be a shame to let this cake go to waste after Maka worked so hard on it…. I think I'll just help myself…!" He pounced on the cake, cutting off a large slice and setting to work on it.

Kid looked aghast. "Wha-what the hell are you doing?! The way you cut that cake just now… you completely _ruined_ the symmetry! Your slice isn't evenly cut; now it looks _awful_! Put it back… I'm begging you; put it back and cut it again!"

Black Star didn't miss a beat, speaking between mouthfuls. "No way, Kid! This is _my_ slice, and I'll cut it how I want!"

Kid started to launch himself at the blue-haired youth, but Liz and Patty each grabbed an arm and pulled him away. "Y-you little brat! You have _no_ appreciation for symmetry! I'll… I'll _kill_ you!"

As Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty tried to diffuse the situation, Blair made her way over to Maka, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey… you okay? I wouldn't worry about it too much; Soul just obviously has a lot on his mind. I'm sure that when he's ready, you'll be the first person he comes to talk to…."

Maka clenched her hands into tight fists, her eyes burning. "Whatever…. That dumb jerk. Like I care…." She turned and stormed out of the room and into the hallway outside, slamming the door behind her.

…

He walked the familiar halls of the Academy, his hands in his coat pockets, and his eyes hidden by the light reflected in his round spectacles. His footsteps echoed down the empty halls with a chilling hollow sound that somehow matched the seriousness of his expression. As he stepped through a set of double doors to an outer balcony, the light shining on his glasses disappeared, revealing intelligent golden eyes. They immediately focused in on the person before him, the man he'd been looking for. He ran a hand through his silver hair and gave an exasperated sigh. "You know, Spirit, you have enough vices of your own without picking up one of mine," he said, as he reached into a pocket on the inside of his pristine white lab coat and pulled out a nondescript pack of cigarettes, shook one out, and inserted it into his mouth.

Spirit Albarn pulled out a match and scraped his thumbnail against its crimson head. A tiny flame immediately sprouted to life, and the Death Scythe held the match up for his friend to lean his face into. The flame licked at the end of the cigarette dangling from his lips, and the professor sucked in a mouthful of smoke before inhaling and exhaling it with precise, practiced method. He savored the taste of the smoke mingled with a hint of sulfur from the match as he blew white wisps out through his mouth and nose. Spirit shook the match once, snuffing out the orange flame, and tossed the match nonchalantly over the balcony's precipice. "C'mon, Stein, don't badger me…. It was _you_ who gave me my first one, after all…. This'll be my last one, anyway…."

Franken Stein took another drag and exhaled with a wry grin. "Must mean your pack is empty…. Good thing I've got extras; you tend to bum a lot from me between buying your own." Spirit smirked, then turned around to look out over Death City, his expression neutral. Stein stepped forward to join him in leaning against the railing. "So, how did Soul's coronation go?"

Spirit rubbed his head, wincing. "Coulda gone better, to be honest…. He didn't really take Lord Death's decree very well…."

Stein nodded sagely. "It's to be expected. Soul's a good kid, and usually keeps a pretty level head about things…. But when it comes to someone's life's ambition, anyone could lose patience. So, who is he going to be partnered with?"

Spirit smirked and looked at his former partner with a cheeky expression, one eye closed. "Well, he threw a fit when he thought Lord Death was going to partner him up with you, so finally Lord Death just said that he was going to continue to be partnered with Maka."

Stein looked down at the long stub of ash on the end of his cigarette, seeming to study it. Finally, he shrugged and tapped the butt until the ash fell off. "But Soul didn't take that news too well, did he?"

Spirit frowned. "I was surprised…. I'd have thought it would make him a little happier…. He just seemed to get more depressed."

Stein smiled. "You just don't know these kids very well, Spirit…. They're as predictable as the sunrise. Of course Soul isn't happy with being partnered with Maka again." He paused to enjoy the look of confusion on the Death Scythe's face before continuing. "Maka made a pretty significant step towards increasing her standing among Meisters by ascending her Weapon partner into a Death Scythe, especially with both of them being so young. What better way to continue along the path to becoming a three-star Meister than to try her hand at ascending another Weapon? Soul is probably thinking that he's getting in her way now, impeding her progress."

Spirit sighed helplessly. "You just think you have all the answers, don't you?"

Stein chuckled. "I guess it could seem that way, to someone of such base intellect."

Spirit puffed up and prepared to counter that snub, when a voice interrupted them. "Ah, here you are Spirit…. And Stein's here too, of course…. Hm, smoking on campus as well, I see…. Such inappropriate behavior for a DWMA professor and a Death Scythe... I'm afraid I can't allow this to pass; I'm going to have to inform Lord Death." A chilled shudder passed between the two of them, and they slowly turned their heads to see the Death Scythe known as the 'Queen of Committee Chairmen', Azusa Yumi, standing off to the side, adjusting her rectangular glasses and pulling out a pocket-sized notebook to scribble some short notes.

Spirit looked ready to cry, but finally sighed and shook his head. "Well, looks like I'll be staying late today to do some midnight cleaning…. And I was _really_ hoping to take an enjoyable night out at Chupa Cabra's later today, as well…. All right, Azusa…. What was it you needed?"

Azusa put away her notebook and regarded the two with a guarded expression. "_She_ has arrived. She's on her way to the Death Room to meet with Lord Death; as his personal Weapon, it's critical that you be present during the meeting, as a show of acceptance of her on behalf of the Death Scythes, and also as a show of force."

Stein raised an eyebrow. "That's quite the genius move. No doubt you came up with that little charade…?"

Azusa adjusted her glasses with a proud look on her face. "Of course."

Stein looked warily at Spirit. "It's also a very important role…. It'll take a precise balancing act to be both those things at once, and not come off as either too militaristic _or_ too convivial. Are you sure _Spirit's_ up to the task?" A vein popped up on Spirit's forehead.

Azusa clasped her hands behind her back and looked at the red-haired Death Scythe dubiously. "I'm sure he will, as long as he keeps his mouth shut…." A second vein popped up on Spirit's forehead. "Of course, if he doesn't… I've heard Lord Death's punishment will be… _quite_ severe…. He said something about making it look like what Marie got this morning seem like a love tap…. And possibly something about a reassignment… to Wales, maybe. Or was it Reykjavik?"

Spirit's mounting anger suddenly shattered beneath his wings, and he plummeted into an ocean of despair. Clawing at his face, he screamed, "_Whaaaat_?! Wales…?! Reykjavik…?! That's like a million miles away! That can't happen! I'd be separated from Maka for_ever_, and she'd never get to see her Papa again! She'd be crushed! Devastated! Don't worry, sweet Maka; your Papa's coming home tonight!"

Stein and Azusa watched him tear away like a bat out of hell, screaming at the top of his lungs, both their expressions completely neutral. Finally, they both adjusted their glasses at the same time, and said, "What a predictable idiot."

…

Spirit stood a step behind and to the right of Lord Death, as befitting his position of right hand advisor, and also easily within reach should any outbreak of violence occur. Spirit had to give it to Azusa, she had even planned out the placement of the attendants down to a 'T'. He swallowed a growing lump in his throat, and reminded himself, for the tenth time in the last ten minutes, to breathe. _It's unheard of, completely unprecedented…. To think _that_ woman would be setting foot on this hallowed ground…. I don't know if I'll ever get used to this._ He moved his gaze to Lord Death, and took some solace in his master's calculated calm.

That solace was short-lived, however, as he gave a slight jump at the sound of the entrance door at the far end of the death room swinging open, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. Spirit listened closely, and discerned three distinct sets of footsteps. He gave a nervous smile. _Azusa even accurately assumed that she would be bringing two escorts with her…. As crazy and annoying as she is, that woman sure is a genius._

It seemed to take the trio forever to arrive, but arrive they finally did. At front and center, she stood, and Spirit was hard-pressed to imagine that so much supposed power could come in such an improbable package. She stood at an unimpressive height, coming up well under the busts of her two counterparts, and she seemed to crane her neck up to take in the impressive visage of Lord Death. For his part, he looked down at her without a word or a motion for quite some time. Finally, she gave a curt nod of her head.

Death withdrew a hand from within his cloaks, and Spirit tensed. But the hand simply came up into a friendly wave. "Hello, hello, hello! Wassup, wassup? How ya doin'? Good to see ya! It's been a long time, hasn't it?" It took a _monumental_ effort of willpower to keep from face-planting, but Spirit managed… somehow.

The diminutive visitor's robes, which hid practically every feature of the body underneath, seemed to shuffle around her as she chuckled. "Ever the fool…. Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Death."

The Reaper seemed to think on her comment, and finally nodded. "Oh, no problem, of course! We're happy to be good hosts, you know. …It's funny, I _still_ haven't gotten used to the two of us meeting on friendly terms like this…."

She was quiet for a time, then, "Friendly, eh? Then tell me, Lord Death, why is it that your Death Scythe is standing there beside you?" A hand wrapped in black cloths and miniature black belts snaked out slowly to point at Spirit, and he felt like his blood suddenly froze in his veins.

The Reaper turned and regarded Spirit as if he'd forgotten he was there. Finally, he turned back to his visitor and chuckled. "Well, now, to be fair, it's not exactly as though _you_ came alone either, now, is it?" He gestured to the two young women standing behind her.

She did not turn, but Spirit could imagine a dry smile spreading across her lips, could hear it in her voice when she spoke. "I guess we both have a long way to go to gaining each other's trust, Lord Death…. Maybe one day we'll be able to meet without escorts."

Lord Death's voice was also warped by what Spirit imagined was a thin smile. "Yes, that would be something, wouldn't it?"

Spirit was too paralyzed to make a move, even to wipe the sweat from his brow. _Even I, someone who has no Meister abilities at all, can sense the powerful auras these two are giving off…. It's incredible. I feel like I can barely move…. So this is what it's like… when two people of almost equal power share such a small space…. It's like my breath is being sucked out of my body…. And who would have thought I'd ever live to see the day… that Grand Witch Mabaa sat down to a parlay… with Lord Death._

-Hi again! I told you I'd try to have the first chapter out soon! The purpose of this chapter was to start to set up the world (call it AU if you want, for me it's more of a timeline "after the events", so to speak). Next chapter will hopefully complete setting up the events of this timeline, and set the stage for everything I have planned to occur. I guess I should mention that I have both seen the anime and have been quickly catching up on the manga; thankfully there isn't a big difference in tone, just some of the canon events…. I will be pulling from a little of each as is beneficial to my story; I don't plan on being completely faithful to just one or the other…. Anyway, I hope you're finding the story intriguing thus far, and will look forward to the next chapter as I get started on it! Until next time!-


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Pray for peace... amidst evil deeds….

Soul lay on his bed, his head resting on his crossed hands and his crimson eyes boring into the ceiling. Fractured memories passed through his mind like water rolling over a stone; he remembered Maka's hand gripping his arm, still felt a tingling sensation above his elbow where it had been. He remembered the hurt expression she wore; he remembered thinking the look didn't belong on her face. He grimaced, remembering it had been his words that had put it there.

He had heard the main door of the dorm room slamming shortly after he'd retreated into his room, and had guessed it must have been her. He clucked his tongue, disgusted with himself. He remembered the watch, the gift Maka had given him. _I know… it was supposed to be a representation of the time we'd spent together…. From the day we'd met, to today, when our partnership was supposed to come to an end…. But how could I have accepted it…? She's still stuck with me, and I couldn't even break the news to her…. Not when she had bought me that watch. Not when she… looked so damn happy for me._

He was growing restless lying on his bed. He looked up at the clock, and his eyes opened in surprise. _What the hell…? I've been sitting here _that_ long?_ He groaned. "It's really uncool to sit around feeling sorry for yourself…. I usually leave that kind of thing up to Maka…." He grinned his shark's grin. "Well, I'd better go find her; she's probably going to give me one of her damn Maka chops, though…." He grimaced, rubbing the top of his head gingerly, anticipating the throbbing pain. He pulled himself out of bed, put his hands in his jacket front pockets, and walked out of his room and then the empty dorm.

…

Spirit remained standing one pace to the right and behind Lord Death, trying his best to blend in with the background and to not appear as though he was eavesdropping on what was certainly one of the more interesting conversations he'd ever been privy to. Lady Mabaa's counterparts, on the other hand, made no attempt to veil their interest in the dialogue. Mabaa and Death knelt on comfortable-looking cushions in front of a low table, and occasionally Sid Barett would appear, seemingly out of nowhere, to refill their tea cups.

Mabaa watched Sid's careful movements as he refilled her cup with a detached curiosity, then returned her gaze to the Reaper. "There has been an incident in the New England area; apparently some members of our organization engaged each other in battle…."

Lord Death sipped at his tea, then set the cup down. "Yes, I've heard about it as well…. I've dispatched a small unit to the area, with orders to capture the Meisters and Weapons responsible, and bring them here immediately."

Mabaa was quiet for a long moment. Finally, she sniffed and said, almost dismissively, "The Witches involved in the fray have already been executed."

Death seemed to regard her, and only Mabaa and Spirit noticed a subtle change in Lord Death's wavelength. "…I'm sorry…. Did you say, 'executed'?"

Mabaa lifted her tea cup and gently swirled it; she seemed to study Lord Death's face from over its rim. "Yes, that's right. That's the mandate I issued to the entire Witches' Mass. Anyone who violates the terms of the treaty… will be executed on-sight. Do you disagree with my methods?"

Lord Death seemed to zone out for a moment, then chuckled. "Well, I suppose as long as we can both agree to respect each other's methods for dealing with these violators, I don't have any place telling you how to handle your people…. Out of curiosity, though… what was done with their…?"

Mabaa's robes shook as she chuckled. "With their souls? I'm afraid I'll have to keep that information close to the chest as well, Lord Death. I'm well aware of the DWMA's requirements for their students…." She clucked her tongue. "A distasteful practice, but one that is apparently necessary for your needs…. And one what will have to be discussed when the time comes…. I don't believe you currently have any members who are being held up by the requirement for a Witch's soul, do you…?"

Lord Death nodded. "Yes, thankfully times are relatively peaceful right now. There are fewer and fewer humans going down the path to becoming a _Kishin_. That said, peaceful times don't always last, and the policy of this Academy is still for students to develop Weapons into Death Scythes… which, I'm afraid, still requires the Weapon to devour 99 evil human souls, and one Witch soul."

Mabaa nodded. "Well, when the time comes, we can discuss this further, and at length. I have some of my best scientists working on suitable replacement materials, and I understand that they're making good progress. I'll keep you informed as necessary."

The Reaper's tone became harsher. "As I've said _before_, it could be helpful to have some of my people assist you in that endeavor…."

Mabaa's tone became equally curt. "And as _I've_ said, the time is not quite right for that to happen just yet…. Not while Meister/Weapon pairs and Witches are still killing each other under cover of darkness…. Maybe if you handled your offenders with a bit of a heavier hand…."

Lord Death dismissed her insinuation with a wave of his hand. "As I already said, I will not question your methods of punishment, as long as you stay out of mine…. Besides, you've promised, and delivered, swift death to any Witch violators, and they still disobey with disheartening frequency. Obviously, your method is not perfect, either…."

Mabaa narrowed her eye. "Well, Lord Death, it might be a different story if we discover that it was _your_ people who are instigating these skirmishes…. Accidents do happen, and there's no telling what may transpire in the confusion of a three-way battle with my execution squad."

Lord Death fell silent, and this time everyone in the Death Room could sense the hostile change in both Mabaa's and Death's soul wavelengths. Spirit's breath caught in his throat, and he set his gaze on the two Witches who had tensed behind their master.

Lord Death's shoulders slumped as he sighed. "Well, we'll look into it, I promise you…. It shouldn't be a matter of who started it, though…. Witches and Meister/Weapon teams should be more than capable of escaping from any kind of battle…. It's how we train; it's how we fight. Both parties must be held accountable for any violation of the treaty. Let's do away with threats…. This peace is fragile enough as it is without the two of us at each other's throats, don't you agree?"

Mabaa laughed, a cold raspy sound, and sipped at her tea. "Very well, Lord Death…. We'll set that matter aside for now. But, I'm afraid that's the end of what was on our agenda today…. So, if there's nothing else, I will take my leave."

Lord Death nodded. "All right, then…. We, the entire DWMA, were happy to have you visit. Don't be such a stranger! Come by anytime!"

Mabaa chuckled as she stood up and dusted off her bottom. "Quite so, Lord Death…." They faced each other and gave short bows, before she turned and walked out, her escorts close at her heels.

Spirit held his breath until he heard the door close behind them, then let it all out in one large exhale, and fell to the floor, his forehead glistening with sweat. "Jeez, Lord Death…! Did you really have to antagonize her like that…? I don't know _what_ I'd have done if you two had started fighting right here in the Death Room! Why don't you think about how _I_ feel every once in a while?"

Lord Death sighed. "Well, I don't even want to think about the consequences of a fight between Mabaa and me in the middle of Death City…. But, if you think about it, I'm sure she doesn't, either…. We've gotta give it to that werewolf… he really did us all a favor when he plucked her eye out all those years ago. You might not believe it, but she was a _lot_ stronger before that happened."

Spirit's jaw dropped, and he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. "Ugh…. I can't stand you overpowered freaks…." His face became uncharacteristically serious. "Lord Death…?"

The Reaper's gaze remained fixed on the hallway Mabaa had just walked down, as if he were still watching her. "Hm?"

Spirit swallowed. "How… how long do you think this truce can really last…?"

Lord Death's answer came after a long pause…. "As long as it can, Spirit…. Only as long as it can. I just pray that it will last longer than we can hope for…."

…

Stein was still at the balcony, enjoying a few last drags on his current cigarette. He looked out at Death City sprawling beneath him. He smiled softly. He had sensed the presence behind him for a while now, coming in a roundabout way closer and closer to him over several minutes. When the door behind him swung open, he didn't turn to face the person behind it. "Good evening, Maka."

She scowled, then gave up and smiled with a shrug. "There's no surprising you, is there, Professor?"

Stein took a long drag on his cigarette and stamped it out on the balcony handrail, then tossed it out into the air. He turned to look at her. "Not with a soul like yours, Maka, no. You seem like something's troubling you…. It's Soul, right?" He smirked when he saw her response. "Did you want to talk about it?"

Maka tsk-ed. "That idiot? He's just acting stupid…."

Stein nodded in understanding. "So I guess Soul didn't tell you, then…? Well, I guess I'm not entirely surprised…. I thought you two could communicate a little better than that, after all this time, though…."

Maka's eyebrows went up. "Huh…? What do you mean, Professor Stein? There's something Soul's not telling me, isn't there…? Does it have to do with him becoming a Death Scythe?"

Stein nodded as he reached for another cigarette. "Indeed…. Maka, you understand what it is that a Death Scythe's responsibilities are, right?"

Maka closed her eyes and seemed to recite the answer as if reading it from a textbook. "A Death Scythe's first and foremost responsibility is to ensure the protection and security of Lord Death. They are his protectors, his elite guard, and also act as his personal Weapons during battle. A Death Scythe's auxiliary duties include overseeing the operations of DWMA satellite facilities and areas of operation, and they have authority to act and make decisions there in Lord Death's stead, and with his full confidence."

Stein smiled and blew out a fresh lungful of smoke. "Perfect marks as always, Maka…. Of course, if you stop and think about it, that is an overwhelming amount of responsibility for anyone, including for Soul. Lord Death has decided to postpone Soul taking on the full responsibility of his position, at least until he has undergone enough training and extra courses to prepare him for all of that…. It's not to take anything away from Soul's ability or strength; it is more a reflection of the peaceful times that we find ourselves in right now. But… as you might expect…."

Maka looked down at her feet and finished the thought. "Soul's not taking it so well…. It's no wonder he seemed so distracted at our farewell party."

Stein nodded. "So _that's_ what happened. I see…. Well, Maka, I have an additional theory on what must seem like strange behavior from Soul. You see, Lord Death also decreed that Soul would remain _your_ partner during this transitional period for him. He seemed to take that news the hardest…."

Maka's eyes widened. "But… but why would he-?"

Stein narrowed his eyes at her. "Come on, Maka; think about it. You've been Soul's partner for years now; you know how he thinks. You already helped Soul ascend into a Death Scythe. Your job should now be to find a new suitable partner and help them ascend, as well…. It would be a big part of your advancement from a two-star Meister into a three-star one…. Not that just _that_ would be enough for promotion…. It certainly wouldn't hinder you, though."

Maka seemed to think for a minute, then her body jumped at her epiphany. "So…! You mean, Soul feels like he's holding me back…?"

Stein winked. "Bingo." He adjusted his glasses and took another drag on his cigarette. "It's important that you two work this out. You're going to continue to work together as a Meister/Weapon pair, and you know all-too-well the results of a Meister and Weapon fighting together without complete trust and resonance. Don't let this fester."

Maka started to open her mouth, but then the door behind her swung open again, and she turned around and made a face at the sight greeting her.

"My sweet daughter Maka!" Spirit exclaimed, throwing himself at her with arms spread wide open, obviously hoping for an embrace.

Instead, he was greeted with the sole of Maka's boot slamming him full in the face, and he lay on the ground on his stomach, twitching and reaching for Maka as she kept him at bay with her boot. "Thanks for the advice, Professor Stein…. I'll try and find Soul, and try to work this out. See you later."

Spirit weakly raised an arm towards his daughter, choking and sobbing, as she turned up her nose and walked past him and back through the door into the Academy hallway.

Stein adjusted his glasses as he studied Spirit's pathetic movements, and turned back to the balcony, taking a long drag on a fresh cigarette. "So, how'd _that_ go?"

Spirit lifted his face, tears streaming down his face. "I think she's still mad at me…."

Stein sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, trying to stave off a headache. "Not that, you numbskull…. I'm talking about Lord Death and Grand Witch Mabaa's… little meet-and-greet."

Spirit held a hand up to Stein. Stein's confused gaze went from the hand to Spirit's face, and he finally sighed with irritated resignation. "I knew it…." He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a cigarette. "You're really a horrible bum, you know that…?"

Moments later, they stood side-by-side, smoking intermittently as they spoke. Finally, Stein nodded. "I see…. Well, it's to be expected…. The threat of the _Kishin_ was enough to bring the DWMA and the Witches' Mass together, and I suppose you could say that it was a really cute scene when both sides absolved Kim Diehl, Eruka Frog, Crona Gorgon, and Tabasa Butterfly and Taruho Firefly, better known as Risa and Arisa, of any and all wrongdoing…. Kid was also highly instrumental in developing the ties between the DWMA and the Witches' Mass into the truce that we know today…. I guess every dark cloud has a silver lining, even one as dark as the _Kishin_…. But, the fact remains that the bitter war that's raged between the DWMA and Witches has been going on for so long… it's just idyllic nonsense to think that Lord Death and Grand Witch Mabaa sitting down to tea a couple of times a month would heal those wounds…."

Spirit frowned. "That's pretty pessimistic coming from someone who all but said that he was gonna place his hopes on the next generation…. And it was Maka and Kid who pushed this the hardest…. Don't you think you could show a little more support?"

Stein chuckled. "I'm not going back on what I said, Spirit. All I can do is look at this from an adult's perspective…. I have to substitute youthful enthusiasm and optimism with a little world-weariness and experience…. And it's not like I'm saying it can't work… over time. But you know as well as I do that if Kid or Maka had been in that room with you, and heard the things you heard… we might have had a pretty serious incident…. It's that wizened outlook that we adults need to apply in situations like these to know that a little spat over some fight in New England doesn't spell certain doom for this truce. It's one bump in the long road to peace…. It's a lot more difficult to maintain it than it is to attain it."

Spirit sighed out a long wisp of smoke. "Yeah, yeah… I hear ya." He looked at his watch, yawned, and stretched. "Well, I think I'm gonna head out, Stein…. You feel like grabbing something to drink with me at Chupa Cabra's? I still have a little time to kill before my nighttime cleaning punishment…."

Stein stood up from his forward lean and reached up, absent-mindedly turning the screw in his head in a clockwise direction of rotation. "Nah, I need to get back to the lab…. Marie is probably finishing up dinner and wondering where I am. It's kind of a pain whenever business brings her here, because she always ends up staying at my place…. But then, it's better than just eating liquefied vegetables out of a beaker…."

Spirit watched him walk away, aghast. "You actually _eat_ like that?! Forget my invite! Actually, just go ahead and forget every nice thing I've ever said about you! You're inhuman! Not to mention _absolutely insane_!"

…

Her feet pounded on the moist ground as she ran through the forest. Thick mist hung in spiraling tendrils low to the ground, and it was all she could do to avoid slipping on rotted foliage, or tripping on a raised tree root. Her breath came in gasps, not because she was winded, but because her heart was pounding out of her chest. The night air was inarguably chilly, but it couldn't take credit for the raised goose bumps covering her neck and arms. Her Weapons felt extremely heavy in her hands, but she wouldn't dream of letting them go. Not after what she'd seen….

_Tetsuo…! Oh, god… Tetsuo!_ She threw her hand out and caught hold of a tree mid-sprint, and whipped around and to a full stop. She doubled over and retched, her knees shaking. From somewhere in the distance, a pair of sounds rose over those of the wind whispering through the trees and cicadas buzzing fiercely: the howl of a wolf, and a strained scream. That set her feet moving again, and she was flying through the forest at her top speed once more. _I… I have to keep moving…! I_ have_ to tell someone about this!_

(_She had lost contact with her cohort, a senior two-star Meister by the name of Tetsuo Yamada, over an hour ago. She felt foolish with the knowledge that he would likely be back at their campsite, and that she would be in for a night of verbal jabbing at her reckless behavior in searching for him. But, black ops policies be damned, she would never forgive herself if something had actually _happened_ to the idiot._

_It hadn't been long before she heard it… something… something _strange_. Parting the leaves of a large bush, she paused just long enough to check that her Weapons, two Chinese hook swords by the name of Fu Tao and Shuang Gou, were secured in the makeshift scabbards at her back. When she refocused her attention to the scene before her, her eyes widened so far that the effect was almost comical, if off-putting._

_Tetsuo was sitting with his back against a tree and his head bowed forward at an extreme angle; it almost looked unnatural. Then she realized he was strapped to it with several loops of fiber rope. She strained her ears, and realized that the strange sound she'd been hearing… it was him muttering something over and over. She approached him, silky and silent in her movements, and as she got nearer and nearer to him, she was able to make out what he was saying…._

"_Murder of crows…. Murder of crows…. Murder of crows…. Do you know what a flock of crows is called…? A murder…. M-murder of crows…."_

_She knelt beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at her touch, but kept his face downwards and hidden in shadow, and continued his meaningless rambling. "Tetsuo…? Who did this…? Don't worry; I'm here now…. I'm getting you out of here."_

_His voice shook, then faltered, then finally stopped. She heard his breaths coming out with ragged irregularity. "Do you know how crows eat their food…? When… when it's still alive? She asked me… do I know what a flock of crows is called…? When crows eat… they fight over who gets them first…." She looked down, and realized that there were two small pools of blood on the front of his pants, and that more drops were falling into them. Then he lifted his face. "They… they fight over them… you watch them fight over your _eyes_, and that's the last thing you _see_!" After that, he just screamed. Over and over… she couldn't make him stop screaming. She felt her gorge rising at the sight of Tetsuo's empty eye sockets staring blindly out at her, weeping crimson tears, and she barely managed to hold down the rising vomit. Then she realized she wasn't alone. She stood up slowly, drawing Fu and Shuang out of their scabbards and turning. She realized what she'd been hearing… it was the sound of wings fluttering. She looked up at the tree tops, and when she realized that the trees were alive with them… _hundreds_ of them, her mind snapped… and she ran.)_

She had stopped by a stream, trying to slow the beating of her heart and tuning out her twin Weapons' talking to her. "Guys, please…! Just… just give me a second of quiet, would you? I need… I need to think. I _know_ I'm in shock, Shuang, thank you very much…. Just… just let me wrap my head around this all right?" She sat down beside the stream, hugging her knees to her chest and trying to gather her wits about her.

Suddenly, she sensed movement to her left, and jumped up, grabbing the twin hook swords and raising them defensively. Then she realized… she had just been spooked by a brown bear some 30 meters away. She sighed in relief and lowered her swords. "My god, I'm so unnerved that I almost killed a bear…. Some black ops specialist I am…. A bear… how foolish."

"Well, _I_ don't think it's very foolish to be afraid of a bear."

Her eyes widened and her pupils dilated to the point of vanishing. She began trembling, and turned to look back at the bear. "D-did that thing just…?"

"I mean, honestly," the bear continued, its eyes shining with an otherworldly light, "they're one of the most dangerous things you can run into out here…. Large, covered with this convenient fur hide armor, armed with lacerating claws and fangs, outweighing you by several hundred pounds, on _top_ of being faster than you are on foot… I'd say bears should be the thing you're _most_ afraid of… when you're alone in the woods…. Besides," and here, the Meister could swear she saw the bear _grin_ at her, "the bears around here…? They have a bit of a _taste_ for human flesh." There was a brilliant flash of red light, followed by a long, agonizing female scream. Her twitching lasted several minutes afterward, while the bear ate its fill….

Elsewhere, the Meister known as Tetsuo had stopped squirming. The crows had managed to keep him alive for quite a while before one accidentally severed his femoral artery, and he had mercifully bled out in a matter of a few short minutes.

And somewhere in the darkness, under a canopy of leaves and brush, a pair of intelligent eyes, wolf's eyes, watched everything, with some strange sense of approval.

-And there's Chapter 2! The end there should give you some idea of the kind of things that'll be in store throughout this story. We'll try to keep language, sexual references, etc., to an _absolute_ minimum, but where this fic will earn its 'M' rating will likely be in the violence/brutality department. Nothing too over-the-top, but c'mon…. These people are brandishing swords, scythes, knives, guns, you name it…. Somebody's bound to get mangled, and it might as well be these guys! Hope you're enjoying the build-up of things! …'Cause there's a lot more of it headed your way! See ya next time!-


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: "What time is it…?"

Akiba Aoyama was tired… and pissed. He grit his teeth in frustration as his feet carried him swiftly and silently through the deep woods. The sunrise had brought with it the empty promise of warmth, and had ruthlessly reneged, leaving him muttering curses about the harsh winter chill of New England. He'd be more than happy to return to the Nevada desert heat when he finished his mission. That thought made him furrow his eyebrows in a regretful moment. "Junko…," he muttered.

"Hm? What was that…?"

His thoughts snapped back to the present moment, and he focused on his Weapon partner's voice in his head. "Oh… my apologies, Anna…. I was just thinking…."

His partner, a heavy leather gauntlet with tiny iron platelets at the knuckles, named Anna Tenniel, nodded. "…About your sister?" His partner spoke with a gentle tone. She knew that he had to be experiencing some inner turmoil. That's why she couldn't for the life of her understand the logic behind Lord Death's order that it be _him_, of all people, to come out here and make the arrest…. Sure, Akiba was strong, one of the strongest two-star Meisters at the Academy…. But, to send him out to arrest his own _sister_…? Not that Akiba would ever question the orders of Lord Death…. His family was originally from Japan; he had been sent to America to study at the DWMA under the direct supervision of the Reaper, at the request of his father, a teacher at the East Asian branch. He had been raised with one tenet stressed above all others: the order of Lord Death was absolute, and was to be obeyed and carried out at all costs. He'd more than proven his loyalty on mission after mission….

She was going to ask him a question, but he suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes and lifting his head. She knew he was sharpening his senses, and she was often surprised at the most subtle sounds and scents that he was able to detect when he stood still, until he almost disappeared into the background. He sniffed, then curled his lip. "Someone's close," he whispered, and she could sense him go immediately on-edge. She also tensed in her weapon form, reaching out and connecting her soul wavelength with his. It was almost second nature, and she felt his stronger wavelength rush into and instantly begin to resonate with hers.

"Is it a-?"

"Not sure…. Doesn't feel like a Witch, but there does seem to be a touch of madness to the wavelength…. We'll have to get closer. Stay sharp, and stay quiet." She nodded, taking no offense to his orders. She respected him far too much as her Meister to argue.

Akiba moved with ghostlike silence, his feet barely whispering even in the thick blanket of snow, as they approached their quarry. She felt his hand grow taut into a fist, and then he leapt out from behind a tree with a liquid speed that his size belied. She gasped, and they said together,

"Theo…!" "Theophilius!"

Curled up under a gnarled section of tree roots and shivering wildly, was the DWMA Weapon known as Theophilius Carter, usually known as "Theo" by his friends. He was known for taking the form of an ornate fencing sword, which his partner, Tetsuo Fujawari, used with precise lethality.

Theo had a bit of a reputation for being a class clown, a layabout, and a nonconformist… which was exactly why Anna had no difficulty seeing him as being the type to break the DWMA's new law against engaging in combat with Witches. Granted, that law had drawn a great deal of ire and indignation, but with a Meister like Akiba, Anna's position on it had never been in doubt. What the pair saw before them, though, barely resembled the easygoing Weapon they had known at the Academy; it barely resembled anything human.

Eyes glazed over in shock and near-madness looked out, unseeing. His hair was a ruffled mess, and full of twigs, dirt, and insects. His clothes were soiled in what Anna _hoped_, but didn't _believe_ based on the smell, was mud…. His clothes were in tatters, and his teeth chattered noisily. While Anna covered her mouth from within her weapon form, Akiba warily approached, his head swiveling about on his neck as he constantly kept vigilant for approaching threats.

"Theophilius… _Theo_!" Akiba hissed. "What happened…? Where is Tetsuo? Where is… where are the others?" Anna winced when her partner could not bring himself to utter his sister's name. She supposed he was still reeling from the idea… that his sister was now an outlaw and a criminal in the eyes of Lord Death.

Theo's pinpoint pupils started dancing from left to right, focusing on nothing, both missing and noticing nothing. He shuddered, and Anna realized he was silently chortling. Despite his criminal status, her heart went out to her fellow Weapon student. "Theo…."

Finally, his lips started to move, and his voice was soft and brittle, like dry twigs being rubbed together. "Dead… all dead. Killed by… by them."

Akiba's face became like stone, and Anna's stomach turned leaden. Akiba's voice was quiet and each syllable was strained. "What do you mean…? Where are… where is Junko, Theo? Where is… where is my sister?"

Theo's madly dancing eyes finally sharpened and focused on Akiba's face. Tears immediately welled up in the corners of his eyes. "…Akiba…." He shuddered, and closed his eyes as the tears started to fall. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Akiba…. They… they…." He drew in a shuddering breath. "They _ate_ her. A-a-ate… your _sister_."

Anna's heart wrenched, and her weapon form dematerialized from his right forearm and she reappeared in human form next to him, catching hold of his shoulders when he suddenly stumbled forward and almost to his knees. She turned from his miserable expression to Theo's twisted visage, and spoke harshly. "Who…? Theo… _who_ ate Akiba's sister? Were they Witches?! Answer me, Theo!"

Theo lifted his torso upright, leaning back on the tree with his face slack. He looked upwards, at the bare branches atop the tall trees surrounding them. "It was… they were… Witches…? Yes, and no…. More like… those who should not be… anymore."

Anna gently released Akiba, now back steady on his feet, and stalked over to Theo, grabbing him roughly by the collar and lifting him to eye-level as she snarled in his face, "God dammit, Theo! Start making some sense! Was it the Witches? Did the Witches you fought kill them? Was it someone else? Are they still in the area? _Speak!_"

Theo gasped, but then started laughing. Softly at first, then with increasing volume. Finally, his face went slack again, and he hiccupped. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "It wasn't them…. No, _these_ ones came after…. It was the ones who came after…. Not human…. Never even saw them coming…. Never… never…. Say… what time is it…?"

Anna was so taken aback that she almost dropped him. "…What?"

His eyes shone. "I asked you… for the time…."

She chanced a quick look up at the sun, and took note of the shadows on the ground and where the moss on the trees grew. "I'd say… about six o'clock."

His eyes danced with unvoiced laughter. "I see…. I see…. You don't know it, but it was six o'clock when I found this place… six o'clock when they struck and killed everyone… six o'clock that I'm found again…. In this place," he muttered as he brought his hands up and grasped her wrists, startling her into dropping him again, whereupon he fell back onto his posterior, "it's… it's always six o'clock." This threw him into another hopeless laughing fit, and he didn't quiet back down for a long time….

…

It was slow-going getting Theophilius back to the Academy in Death City, Nevada. Akiba had been silent, but inconsolable. He refused most of his food and water, and rarely spoke, if at all. He had dug graves for Theo's Meister, Tetsuo, and Junko's Weapon partners, Fu Tao and Shuang Gou, with his bare hands, not voicing any pain when blisters formed and exploded and his fingernails split in the process. For Junko, he had erected a makeshift funeral pyre, and burned what little there was left of her body, praying silently the entire time until there was naught left but ash and cinders.

Anna for her part wondered whether her sanity would remain after the trek. Between Akiba's cold silent stare and Theo's ravings, she felt like her mental well-being was dangling at the razor's edge. When she finally beheld the sight of Death City, she swore nothing had ever seemed like such a welcome sight.

Their report was befuddled, at best. What little information they had could hardly be called concrete evidence: a few partially-washed away footprints, the description of the nature of the dead's wounds, and the ravings of a madman. No one, not even Lord Death, had been able to make sense of his rambling. Eventually, Theo was hauled off to a maximum security wing of the DWMA's prison, in a straitjacket and ankle shackles. Akiba had stalked off without a word as soon as Lord Death had dismissed him, and Anna's attempt to follow him had proven futile when he'd decided to leave her behind. Anna felt helpless, and was completely unable to abide by Lord Death's order to her and Akiba: Tell no one of this. Isolated and heartbroken, she didn't last the night before she confessed to a confidant.

Word spread like wildfire through a dry bush. Rumors quickly reached every ear that Mabaa's execution squad had murdered DWMA students who had broached the new anti-combat law, in clear violation of the terms of the young treaty. Tensions mounted to near-breaking point in a matter of days, and without clear direction from Lord Death or DWMA professors, a sentiment of hostility took sway among the citizens of Death City, and whisperings of secret militarization followed soon after.

…

Maka walked through the halls of the Academy, slowly making her way to a dorm room. She caught herself midway through the motions of knocking on the door, and seemed to hesitate. Finally, she lowered her eyebrows, her expression one of strict determination, and she let her knuckles rap on the door three times before she turned the knob and walked in.

Soul was lying on the couch, his mouth worrying at a thin straw as he contemplated the ceiling. His eyes shot over to the door, and to the intruder of his peace and quiet, and his expression softened a notch when he realized it was her. "Yo…. You're late." Maka gave a noncommittal grunt, to which Soul raised an eyebrow. "S'not like a goodie-two-shoes like you to be late for curfew; any longer and I'd have had to go looking for you."

Maka shot him a dull look. "If you'd done that, _you_ would have been violating curfew, too. Don't worry about me so much and try minding your own business."

Soul snorted and leaned back to rest his head on the arm of the couch with a contented grin. It quickly faded as he seemed to reflect on something. "Things are getting pretty weird out there…. All everyone seems to be talking about is this stuff that went down in New England. They're saying it was some Witch Execution Squad or whatever, that the old lady Mabaa was secretly behind it, and that Lord Death needs to re-declare war on all the Witches…."

Maka sighed and plopped down on the sofa opposite the one Soul occupied, pulling out a book and turning to a dog-eared page. She didn't seem too intent on reading it, however, and Soul continued.

"Kid's been MIA for two days now; not even Liz and Patti know where he's been, which is all kinds of suspicious…. And Black Star just keeps spouting off nonsense about how trivial matters like this are beneath gods like him, which when you think about it is pretty par for the course for him…. The only thing _more_ suspicious is the way the teachers are behaving, acting like everything's hunky-dory and that nothing's out of the ordinary at all…."

Maka closed her book and leaned back, giving Soul an irritated glare. "Is all this supposed to have a point?"

Soul grunted as he sat up, crossing his legs beneath him. "C'mon, Maka. You have to admit, it's just a little too weird. You _have_ to have some kind of opinion about this…."

Maka closed her eyes, recalling a conversation she'd had with Professor Stein the day prior….

(_She'd met him at his regular spot, on a balcony on the upper levels of the Academy, absentmindedly smoking a cigarette while looking out at Death City sprawling below him. She'd come to him, of course, as she always did when troubled. He'd turned and looked at her, his eyes distant, cold and hard. That look… she hadn't seen that look in his eyes in a long time. Not since they had been underneath the Academy, and were facing off with Medusa in their ill-fated attempt to prevent her from reviving the Kishin with black blood. The way he'd looked at her, eyes steely and bitter, lips pursed together, a calculated hate… that was the expression that she suddenly found turned on her…._

_And then, as soon as she'd seen the look, comprehended it, it was gone… replaced with Stein's cheerful mask of a smile. "I'm sorry, Maka; I must have been off in my own little world again. Did you want to ask me something?"_

_She couldn't… couldn't gather up the nerve to ask again. _So… you're in on it, too…? Professor Stein… what is it? What is it that you won't tell us…?_ She dismissed her thoughts with a wave of her hand, and softly laughed nervously before saying out loud, "Oh, it's really nothing, Professor Stein…. I just remembered the answer myself; it was just a question about your lecture in class this morning. I'll… I'll be going, now."_)

She opened her eyes, and regarded Soul. "Nothing…," she whispered.

Soul perked up and leaned towards her, turning his head so that his ear was directed at her. "Huh? Come again?"

She tsk-ed. "I said it's nothing. I don't have an opinion on anything, and I don't know what you're talking about, besides. If something _were_ going on, the teachers, or Lord Death himself, would tell us about it. The students are just making stuff up to amuse themselves since it's been so quiet lately. They should keep that kind of rumor-milling to themselves. So should you."

Soul was unable to restrain himself from jumping up to his feet. "That's a load of bull, Maka! You're not some dumb sheep, and you don't get to go through life with blinders on all the time! Take a look around; people are sneaking out and having secret meetings, there's talk of setting up ambushes against Witches, and suddenly orders come down from the top that there's a new curfew, and violators will be punished _harshly_, up to and including total expulsion from the Academy…! All the while the teachers tell us that nothing's wrong, and just pile on the homework like crazy, like they don't _want_ us to have any time to think about anything else…. It practically _reeks_ of a cover-up, you know. Not to mention, that two-star Meister Akiba Aoyama and his partner Anna Tenniel just suddenly up and vanish… the two who just _happened_ to be the ones who were sent to investigate the fight between the renegade DWMA students and Witches…? It's plain as day… something big went down, and mum's the word from the chain of command." He bit down on his thumbnail, his eyebrows drawn down over the bridge of his nose.

Maka eyed him irritably. "A lot of big talk, coming from somebody who up until a few days ago couldn't _wait_ to be _in_ that chain of command…."

Soul's expression became indignant. "Wha-? What the _hell_ has been your problem this past week? Huh, Maka? You've been biting my head off every other word I say, lately! We're supposed to be partners, you know!"

Maka flinched, and her composure slowly started to crumble. She looked at Soul with a hurt expression. "I do…. I do know it. But lately, I feel like you don't even care about that. You've been moping around here, totally lost in your self-pity and depression…. It's like you can't _stand_ the reality that you're stuck with _me_ as your partner! It's like you'd rather be anywhere… anywhere else than here with me!"

Soul was thunderstruck. All he could do was sit on the edge of the couch cushion and gape at her, not knowing where to start. She looked down at him, and her expression of hurt became one of anger; Soul couldn't tell if she was angrier at him or at herself, but he could guess. "Maka… wait."

She recoiled away from him, took a seething breath in, and turned away, stalking to her room and slamming the door behind her, leaving Soul alone in the living room, dazed and confused. He looked at her bedroom door for a long time, and finally ran both hands through his hair exaggeratedly. Sighing, he steeled himself for what he was sure would be quite the reaction, and stood up and slowly made his way over to her bedroom door. As gently as he could, he pressed his ear to the door, listening intently. Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief. _Well, at least she's not crying…._ He rapped the middle knuckle of his curled index finger against the door. "Maka… I'm coming in."

"Don't you dare," growled a low warning from the other side.

He closed his eyes and sighed again. _Yup, this is really going to hurt…._ He wrapped his hand around the doorknob and turned, stepping in as he ducked just in time for a hardback copy of the novel _War and Peace_ to go whizzing through the air his head had just occupied. His crimson eyes followed its trajectory. "_War and Peace_, huh? You're not messing around." He swept his hand through the air, knocking away another hardback novel, this one the unabridged version of _Moby Dick_, right before it would have connected with his face right between the eyes. As he continued moving towards Maka in the far corner of the room, he dodged and blocked copies of _Atlas Shrugged_, _A Tale of Two Cities_, and _The Divine Comedy_.

Finally, he huffed and caught Maka's arm by the wrist in mid-throw, and a leather-bound edition of _Gai-Jin_ tumbled out of her grip. Her eyes burned into Soul's with an intense defiance at which he might have been taken aback had he not seen that look a hundred times before…. He met her gaze evenly, and let a moment pass before he started to speak. "Maka… I'm sorry. I didn't know that's how you were feeling, but there's a lot more to what's been running through my mind than you know…. I should have thought more… about how my actions would make you feel. And, and I can't stress this enough… and there's _no one_… I'd rather be partners with. I told you once before, a long time ago… you are by far… the craziest, most stubborn, and _coolest_ Meister I've ever met. And I… I'm proud to be your partner. I'm proud to protect you. I promise…," his eyes never leaving hers, he took her hand and pulled it down and underneath his shirt, finally laying it to rest on the scar running diagonally down his torso, "I will always remember the words I thought, and the feelings I felt, when I got this scar for you…. And I will always live by them."

Maka's eyes were large, and her cheeks were lightly flushed, both at the sincerity of Soul's voice and the words he spoke, and at the feel of his bare skin under her fingers. She almost gasped, but caught it and kept it tightly inside. She marveled at herself for a moment…. She had almost… _almost_… started to think about Soul in a completely foreign and undoubtedly _dangerous_ way… like a seventeen-year-old girl would about a seventeen-year-old boy. She pulled her hand downwards, but Soul's grip on it was like a vice. She looked up at his face and noticed a sharpness to his expression. "Soul…. You're… too close."

Her eyes were caught and held by his, and he took a half step closer to her. "Am I…?"

Warning bells were screaming in her head, but seemed to be coming from miles away and growing ever more distant. Her free hand rose and grabbed hold of the sleeve of Soul's long-sleeved yellow t-shirt. "I can… smell you…."

One of Soul's eyebrows rose. "Oh…? Do I… smell funny, or something?"

Maka's cheeks flushed a deeper red. "No… it's…. You smell good…."

Soul's eyes widened and he stepped closer, driving Maka's back into the corner of the wall. She swallowed a growing lump in her throat, and chanced a look into his eyes again. He lifted both his arms and placed his hands flat against the wall at either side of Maka's head as he leaned in….

…and Maka's cell phone started shrilling from her desk at the opposite end of the room. Soul's eyes shot wide open, and his heart skipped a beat in surprise, his head snapping around towards the source of the sound. Maka used the distraction to duck under Soul's arm and escape that intoxicating aroma, and beat a hasty retreat over to the desk, picking up the phone and flipping it open to press the 'Talk' button. She cleared her throat, _willing_ her heartbeat and her voice to stabilize. Finally, she said, a little too loudly and pointedly, "Hello? This is Maka…. Kid…? Where have you been all this time? Liz and Patti have…. What?" She sighed loudly with an exasperated expression. "I can't right now, I'm doing homework and Soul and I…." She looked at Soul, who seemed to be unable to meet her gaze at the moment. She closed her eyes and breathed out through her nose. "Actually, never mind about that. I'll be there right away – what? Soul, too? …Does he _have_ to…?" She groaned. "Fine, fine…. We'll have to sneak out… yeah, the curfew…. All right, already! We'll be there as soon as we can." She clicked her phone off and gave Soul a look that brooked no argument. "We're going out." Soul's eyebrows went up questioningly, and she turned beet red when she realized what she'd just said. Shaking her head violently, she stammered, "…Outside, not…. Just shut up." She grabbed her coat and walked out, leaving Soul speechless for the second time that night.

… _(One day earlier)_ …

Lord Death stood in front of his full-size mirror, his blank visage staring through it and at the image of a very uncomfortable-looking Sid Barrett. He sighed; he hated repeating himself.

"That's right, Sid; you're going to New England. I need you to conduct a full-scale investigation of the… the murder scene."

Sid's face, decayed though it was, still managed to convey his lack of enthusiasm at the task. "But, Lord Death…. Surely Akiba Aoyama and Anna Tenniel's report should have been sufficient to-"

Lord Death held up a hand, cutting Sid off. "The report of a Weapon girl in shock and a grieving Meister, skilled as they may be, and the testimony of Theophilius Carter are nowhere _near_ substantial enough to warrant any kind of decision on the part of the DWMA. At least, it's not even enough to justify even _considering_ retaliation against the Witches or Mabaa… though, to be honest, it's not so little as to allow us to totally ignore the possibility of the worst-case scenario, either."

Sid was quiet for a moment, to make sure Lord Death had finished speaking. "And by 'worst-case scenario,' you mean…?"

The Reaper's voice darkened. "That isn't something that even _you_ should be saying out loud, Meister."

If Sid had the capacity to feel a glimmer of fear, he imagined that's how he'd feel at that tone. "I understand, Lord Death. When do you want my report?"

Lord Death considered for a moment. "I'll expect a full report within three days' time. Obviously, the usual also applies; if you find anything of significance, notify me immediately."

Sid nodded. "Very well, Lord Death. I'll leave right away."

The Reaper nodded, and the mirror shimmered, and then there was only his own reflection to look back at him. From behind him, Azusa spoke, "Lord Death, I'm still not sure why you wouldn't send me to go with him…. My abilities would be most useful to Sid during his investigation."

Lord Death turned to face her. "True," he mused, nodding, "but I have another far more important task for you to focus on at the moment."

The Death Scythe adjusted her glasses so that her eyes were visible from behind the glare off the lenses. "Yes, sir?"

Lord Death glided over to his table and plopped down onto one of the cushions around it, picked up a cup of tea in his comically oversized hands, and took a long, slow sip before setting it back down. "I need you to leak the information surrounding this case into commonly-hacked unofficial information channels. Specifically, I want the details of the students' deaths, Carter's capture and testimony, and the location of his holding cell released. Also, I'd like the information to include Sid's investigation at the scene of the battle."

Azusa was dumbfounded, and her jaw dropped. "S-s-sir! Are you serious?! Not _only_ is that information _highly_ classified and related to a still-open DWMA investigation, but such a rash act could also potentially put Theophilius Carter's and Sid's lives in serious jeopardy!"

Lord Death listened patiently before countering, "Yes."

Azusa looked bewildered. "Sir…? Yes to which part?"

"To all."

Azusa bit her tongue, shuddered, and re-adjusted her glasses. "Well, sir, while I can't even _begin_ to comprehend the reason why you'd want to do such a thing, I'll do it for you…. But, still, this isn't the kind of thing that needs my level of experience. Stein, or even that idiot Marie, could do something _this_ low-level."

Lord Death took another sip of tea. "Not at all, Azusa. There is a very good reason I need _you_ to do this task…. You see, it would look rather suspicious if one of our most highly-classified files suddenly showed up on a back alley information channel. So I need you to make it look… accidental, let's say…. Some bit of encoding, high-caliber enough to make it believably difficult, but not so much that a skilled person couldn't eventually find a back door. Also, we want to split it up a bit, not have it all in a single file; leave a bit of a breadcrumb trail, leading to Carter's location…. Something to help sell that this isn't something we purposefully put out there."

Azusa's jaw dropped. "I… I see. Now I understand. That level of programming isn't something that many people could do with the right degree of finesse…. But, still… Lord Death, won't you tell me what it is that you hope to accomplish?"

"Hmm," Lord Death began. "Well, I suppose there's not a whole lot of a point in hiding anything from you at this point…. You being so clever, you likely would have figured it out soon enough anyway, and at least this way I'm the one controlling the flow of information." He took another sip of tea and cleared his throat. "You see, there are certain individuals whom I'm hoping will be able to decode this information…. I want to try to smoke out the rat, so to speak…. If we can slowly circulate this information into the right circles, we may yet find our culprit. It's the same with Sid, and even especially so in his case. Our murderers might not feel bold enough to stage a strike against the DWMA directly by attempting to get to Carter, but they very well _could_ try and make a move against Sid, in which case they'd be just as good as ours as if they'd waltzed into the Death Room itself."

Azusa was speechless for a moment, and a large sweat bead rested on top of her forehead. "W-wow, sir…."

Lord Death chuckled. "Yes, I _am_ a bit of a genius, aren't I?"

Azusa adjusted her glasses. "Well, _actually_, sir…. I was just admiring the amount of respect you must have for the Meister Sid…. To send him out alone as bait… it just goes to show how you hold him in such high regard."

Lord Death seemed appalled. "What? Good heavens, no! That would be _suicide_! There's no telling how many the enemy number; Sid probably wouldn't stand a chance!"

Azusa promptly face-planted. "I… see."

Lord Death nodded sagely, ignoring her antics. "No, a very highly-skilled team has been dispatched to provide backup for Sid in such an instance."

Azusa regained her composure, and nodded. "I see…. Well, it seems you've thought of everything, as always, sir."

Lord Death grunted in agreement. "We'll just have to hope that our little gambit pays off…."

Azusa turned to walk away, and stopped to ask over her shoulder. "Lord Death, exactly how difficult would you like me to make the encryption?"

Lord Death seemed to consider, then finally said, "Let's make it a nice round three days. For even the _best_ of hackers…."

… _(23 hours and 59 minutes later)_ …

Two ring-adorned hands crashed down on the polished surface of a desk, rattling the large computer monitor resting atop it. A gaunt form stood, trembling with barely-contained rage as he looked with disbelief at the information displayed on-screen. "Father…. Just what the hell are you _up_ to? Did you think I wouldn't notice…? The Death Scythe Azusa… she's skilled, but so proud that she leaves her fingerprints all over everything she does. It was a mistake using her and thinking I wouldn't notice, Father…." He continued reading through the information, his eyes narrowing and his countenance darkening with every word. "I see… I see…. So _that's_ your game, is it? Well, sorry to disappoint you, Father, but you failed to take _me_ into account. I'll be doing some cloak-and-dagger of my own…." He closed his eyes, thinking about how he would make his next move. "It would be best if I had someone else upon whom I can rely…. Yes… yes, _those_ two should do just fine."

He pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket with a flourish of his arm, and dialed a familiar number. "Maka, are you all right? Yes, it's me. …Never mind that; listen… I need you to come to Joe Buttataki's old lab, right away."

-And the plot thickens, right? I hope you're enjoying the events so far. There's a lot more to come, and I hope it'll keep you entertained! Really, I hope that I can make it an enjoyable story, even for the few of you out there reading. That's the goal above all else, is just to write a story that you can enjoy! So, if there's anything you have comments/suggestions/gripes in general about, please feel free to leave them in the box below! We love to hear your thoughts! Peace out, and see ya next time!-


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